Cortical function a view from the thalamus (Elsevier, 2005)
"This book is a summary of talks given at a meeting held in Madison Wisconsin from 12-14 September 2004. This meeting was initiated by two of the editors (V.A.C. and S.M.S.) largely in recognition of the research career of the third editor, R.W. Guillery"--Preface
Includes bibliographical references and index
Almost all of the messages that are received by the cerebral cortex from the environment or from the body's internal receptors come through the thalamus and much current thought about perceptual processing is based on sensory pathways that relay in the thalamus. This volume focuses on three major areas: the role of thalamocortical communication in cognition and attention; the role of the thalamus in communication between cortical areas; the hypothesis that much or all of the information relayed by thalamus, even to classical, pure "sensory" areas of cortex, represents a corollary message being sent simultaneously to motor centers. It presents a broad overview of important recent advances in these areas. * Provides a look at brain structures involved in perception and action * Includes summaries by leading investigators in the field * Presents recent advances in our understanding of brain functions